


coming home

by iwritetrash



Series: spellbound [2]
Category: Victoria (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Dramatic Backstory, Fights, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Meet the Family, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-06-28 17:06:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15711579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwritetrash/pseuds/iwritetrash
Summary: alfred takes his boyfriend home to meet the family.~a spellbound spin off





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> im still a little conflicted about how i feel about this but honestly i want it out there for you guys to read so here it is!! 
> 
> this is a spin off from spellbound, and i'd recommend that you read that first if you haven't already, as this does refer to plot points which have been developed there previously.
> 
> huge thanks to luckymoony who listened to me ramble about this and helped me decide on the poster boys of alfred's childhood!
> 
> enjoy!

Edward’s leg bounces up and down nervously as he stares out of the car window, watching the countryside whip by. Dottie is curled up in his sleeve, and Edward envies her for being able to tuck herself away and sleep, free from the nerves which are currently making him feel sick to his stomach.

Alfred is humming quietly to a song on the radio that Edward doesn’t recognise, and if Edward wasn’t so nervous he’d probably be fixating on just how sexy his boyfriend looks while he’s driving, one hand on the wheel, the other alternating between the gearstick and Edward’s thigh.

Edward’s anxiety reaches a fever pitch when Alfred exits the motorway, following a sign stating that Anglesey is only another 10 miles.

“You know, it’s pretty distracting when you bounce your leg like that,” Alfred murmurs. Edward doesn’t look over at him, but he can tell he’s smiling. “At least do it in time with the music. Or not at all. You’re distracting enough as it is.” Now he’s definitely smiling, casting a quick glance in Edward’s direction, before turning his attention back to the road. 

“Sorry. Just nervous, I guess.” God, are his palms sweating? He thinks his palms might be sweating.

“Oh please, they’re going to love you, probably more than they love me.”

Edward is momentarily disarmed by the smooth way Alfred slips the car from third gear into fourth, before bringing his attention back to the conversation at hand. “But your parents, I mean, they were with you after the whole Jamie thing. Don’t they blame all that on me, just a little bit?”

“Edward, everyone in my family knows I am entirely to blame for everything that went wrong in the build-up to our relationship. I mean come on, you’re not the one who dated someone else for months and denied their obvious feelings for you.” Alfred pauses a little awkwardly. “Twice.” 

“God, you’re right, why am I dating you again?” Edward grins, wrapping his hand around Alfred’s where it’s currently resting on his thigh.

“Like hell if I know,” Alfred says with a small smile, lapsing into silence briefly as he navigates a roundabout, before taking Edward’s hand again with a small smile. “Anyway, my parents are convinced that I don’t deserve you, and I’m sure meeting you will only make them certain. And my siblings all think I’m a total idiot.”

“So no change there, then?”

“Funny,” Alfred rolls his eyes just a little. “Speaking of, there’s definitely not going to be any half siblings there, just my regular brothers and sisters. You remember all their names, right? Or do you want me to quiz you again?”

“Don’t worry, I studied extra hard last night, I made flash cards and everything. Emily’s the oldest, blonde hair, brown eyes, three kids. Clarence is a redhead, he’ll be with his husband, Richard, at all times. Mary looks like your mother, and can be found wherever the alcohol is. George looks just like you, but he’s shorter, and he won’t take well to me bringing that up. Adelaide is the youngest, also a redhead, she’s the one who went out with Florence. I should absolutely not bring that up, especially in front of her girlfriend.” Edward rattles off the information he had memorised in the hopes that it would help him make a good first impression.

“Impressive. You’ll have them all charmed in seconds.” Alfred squeezes Edward’s hand tightly, before turning into a driveway that looks like it might take 5 minutes just to drive down. God, Edward’s knee is bouncing uncontrollably now.

“Alfred, this place is insane.” Edward gapes as the house looms into view. “You grew up here?”

Alfred nods, suddenly sheepish, as he parks up at the tail end of a row of cars. “We’re the last ones here apparently.”

Edward takes a deep breath, as though it might calm the butterflies that seem to have taken up residency in his stomach. “Great.” Alfred shoots him a slightly worried look, which isn’t surprising given the way Edward half-chokes the word. 

“Hey, Edward, look at me.” Alfred twists in his seat, grabbing taking Edward’s hands with a reassuring smile. “They already love you, okay? Nothing you could possibly do would ever change that.” Alfred presses a quick kiss onto Edward’s lips, reaching up a hand to stroke his cheek gently. “You ready?” 

Unfortunately, before Edward can reply, the pair of them are interrupted by someone knocking on the window behind Alfred’s head. “Oi, loser, quit snogging your boyfriend in the car and bring him in to meet us before mum flips a lid.” Edward catches sight of golden hair that looks strangely familiar. George, he assumes.

“Oh fuck off, give us a minute. Go and tease Addie instead,” Alfred yells without turning.

“Can’t, her girlfriend dumped her yesterday so we have to be extra nice to her today.”   
  
“Really?” Alfred turns his head this time.

Edward squeezes Alfred’s hand to get his attention again. “Not to distract you from your gossiping but I think it might be better to have this chat when it’s not taking place through a window.”

“You sure you’re ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” 

“Then let’s go!” Alfred grins, dropping Edward’s hand to open his car door, making sure to hit George with it as he does, before quickly pulling his seat forward to let Charlie hop out of the backseat.

Edward follows suit, hovering nervously behind Alfred as he gives his brother a hug, quizzing him quickly on the situation with Adelaide. Once he’s satisfied that he has all the information he needs, he turns back and grabs Edward’s hand, pulling him forward a little and presenting him to George with a proud smile.

George gives him a once over, before grinning at him. It’s disarmingly similar to the way Alfred smiles. “Plumpy, I knew your boyfriend was out of your league, but you didn’t tell me he was so _far_ out of your league.”

“Bite me, George.” Alfred huffs. 

“Look, all I’m saying is if you ever get bored of Alfred, feel free to give me a call.” George winks at Edward.  
  
“Thanks, but I like my men a little taller,” Edward bites back. Alfred’s mouth drops open as George stares at him with a slight frown. 

**_Don’t_** _mention his height_. That was written very clearly on Edward’s flashcard about George. God, he hates himself. He’s only met one sibling and he’s already fucked it up.

Before he can jump in and apologise, however, George’s frown drops into a small smile. “Well played.” He nods, almost looking impressed. “Come on, Mum has prepared an absolute feast inside and none of us are allowed to eat anything until you guys get there, which means Mary is already sloshed and Emily’s kids are on the brink of throwing a tantrum.”

George walks off without looking back to check they’re following, giving Alfred time to lean in and whisper to Edward. “That was pretty sexy, you know. If you’re going to keep doing that I might have to take you to bed before dinner is finished.”

Edward smiles just a little, before tugging on Alfred’s hand, a little more willing to bite the bullet and meet the rest of his family now that the first meeting is out of the way.

He really should have expected that Alfred’s entire family would be gathered in the entrance hall waiting to ambush them. He can hardly get a word in edgeways around the various Pagets hugging him. Adelaide nods relatively dismissively in his direction, and George settles for a handshake when Alfred glares at him, but Mary wraps him up in a sloppy hug, clearly already toeing the line between tipsy and drunk, and Emily and Clarence both hug him and tell him that, from the sounds of things, it’s about damn time.

Alfred’s father makes an attempt to look stern, as though he’s assessing Edward’s suitability for his son, but Charlotte, like her children, hugs him immediately, and promptly tells Henry to stop being so pompous and just hug Edward already.

At some point, Alfred disappears, apparently having been dragged off by Emily, who’s giving him a far more sympathetic rundown of Adelaide’s break up, leaving Edward entirely at the mercy of the rest of his family. As it turns out, seven Pagets are rather a lot to handle all at once.

Needless to say Edward is glad when Charlotte ushers him in the direction the dining room, where Alfred is already waiting with Emily, her husband, their three children, and a man Edward assumes is Clarence’s husband, sitting at an enormous dinner table. Edward tries not to gape at the size of it, as Alfred’s siblings all take their seats.

Edward slips into the empty seat beside Alfred, still reeling from all of the introductions he’d faced in the last twenty minutes or so. 

“You okay?” Alfred whispers, squeezing his hand under the table.

Edward nods mutely, mustering up a smile as Charlotte passes dishes of potatoes and meat and vegetables around the table.

Luckily, dinner is much easier to manage. With most of the family occupied eating their food, Edward finds he’s in the spotlight a little less, and only has to field a few questions about his career, and his decision to leave his last coven, all of which he answers with relative ease. Henry attempts to ask what Edward’s intentions are with Alfred, but Charlotte swiftly kicks him in the shin under the table and changes the subject. 

Edward rather enjoys glancing around the table and spotting familiars wrapped around wrists and perched on shoulders and stealing food off of plates. He even manages to coax his own familiar out of his sleeve, placing Dottie firmly on his shoulder and quietly instructing her to behave herself. Charlie is lounging across both his and Alfred’s feet under the table, her weight feeling reassuringly familiar, and helping to keep his nerves at bay.

It’s surprising how easy it is for him to slip into a casual rapport with Alfred’s siblings, talking to Clarence’s husband, who is the only person there who isn’t a witch, about recent political reforms, and letting Dottie trot across the table to Emily’s children, where she puts on quite the show, earning surprised giggles from all three of them. Adelaide persists in ignoring him, but he supposes that’s only fair for the moment, but George flirts with him shamelessly, despite Alfred glaring at him from across the table, and Edward politely shuts him down at every turn.

By the time dinner is over, however, Edward is really rather exhausted. Thankfully, Alfred seems to notice, telling his family he thinks it’s high time he and Edward got to bed to recover from their long drive, even though it’s only 9pm. As they leave, they’re followed by a series of wolf whistles, and an indignant cry of ‘not in front of the children!’ from Emily.

Alfred doesn’t bother silencing his siblings this time, instead leading Edward upstairs by the hand, allowing Edward to breathe again, free from the scrutinising eyes of Alfred’s family. When they reach a door with a few stickers someone had clearly attempted to peel off still marking the pale wood, Alfred pauses, lacing his hands around Edward’s neck. “You were amazing tonight. I know they’re a tough crowd, but they already love you to pieces. I think my mum is half-considering adopting you.”

“Well, I can think of other more preferable ways of joining the Paget clan.” Edward nuzzles his nose against Alfred’s slightly, bumping their foreheads together. “Maybe something that involves a ring.”

Alfred hums contentedly. “I think mum would be fairly pleased with that.”

Edward grins, reaching out a hand for the doorknob to push his way inside. Before he can, however, Alfred’s hand lands over his, stopping him in his tracks. 

“Before we go in,” Alfred murmurs, suddenly sheepish, “I haven’t redecorated this room since I was about 14.” 

“Okay.” Edward raises an eyebrow, now intrigued by Alfred’s apparent reluctance to let him into his childhood bedroom.

“And when I was 14 I had a fairly severe crush on Zac Efron.”

“Are you trying to tell me your room is covered in Zac Efron posters?”

“I took most of them down when I turned 17 and decided it was borderline obsessive.”

“Oh my god, how many are left? Scratch that, how many were there before?” Edward is trying to hard not to laugh at Alfred, who is now blushing furiously and staring at the ground. 

“Not _that_ many. And they weren’t _all_ Zac Efron.”

“Who else?” Edward asks. Alfred avoids his stare and gives him a non-committal shrug. “You know I’ll just ask your family if you don’t tell me, right?”

“Michael Phelps,” Alfred mumbles, kicking his toe into the carpet. “And the Jonas brothers.”

“Well now I have to see this,” Edward grins, pushing open the door despite Alfred’s protestations, and directing all his effort into not doubling over with laughter. 

“It’s terrible, I know,” Alfred sighs, glancing around his room.

“It’s not so bad,” Edward attempts, but he barely even makes it through the sentence without laughing. 

Every single wall in the room has at least five immaculate posters, some taken from magazines, and some that look like Alfred might have bought them from a record store. There’s even a large, signed poster of The Jonas Brothers hanging above his bed.

_Alfred,_

_Keep on rockin’_

_Love,  
_ _Joe, Nick, and Kevin_

“My parents got me tickets for my birthday, with a backstage pass,” Alfred smiles a little nostalgically.

Edward feels a slight twinge of jealousy in his gut that Alfred was able to have all of these posters up, and that his parents supported him in his wild crushes, but he pushes down the thought.

“Were you a Joe, Nick, or Kevin fan?” 

“Nick,” Alfred answers without hesitating. “Guess I always did have a thing for curls.” He walks over and tugs affectionately on one of Edward’s curls which has fallen loose across his forehead. 

Edward hums quietly, wrapping his arms around Alfred’s waist. “Is that right?” 

“You know, you’re the first boy I’ve ever invited in here.” Alfred gives him a wolfish grin. “Which means I haven’t ever christened my bed properly.”

“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Edward walks Alfred back until his calves hit the bedframe, causing him to stumble back onto the bed, pulling Edward down so he lands on top of him.

Alfred laughs a little breathlessly, legs still hanging awkwardly over the edge of the bed, before wrapping had hands around the back of Edward’s neck, pulling him in for a searing kiss. He makes quick work of Edward’s shirt, unbuttoning it and pushing it off of his shoulders as Edward fumbles with the buttons on his own, still kissing Alfred furiously.

He’s almost managed it when the door swings open.

“Seriously? You couldn’t even get onto the bed properly?”

Edward jumps away from Alfred, and hears laughter from behind him in response, turning his head to see Adelaide standing in the doorway.

“Don’t worry Drums, I won’t be long,” Adelaide smirks.

Alfred props himself up on his elbows, giving her an irritated look. “Can we help you, Addie?”

“Dad wants to go on a family walk to the beach tomorrow morning, so he wants everyone up for breakfast at 7.” She leans against the doorframe with a coy smile. 

“And you couldn’t just text me this because…?”

“This is way more fun. This way, I know you’ve got the message, and I get to embarrass your boyfriend.” She shrugs, flipping her hair back over her shoulder.

“Great,” Alfred deadpans, “is that all?” 

“Gege wanted me to remind you that his bedroom is next door and the walls are kind of thin.” Adelaide’s eyes dart over to Edward, clearly looking for some kind of reaction, but Edward has pulled out his phone, clearly texting to block out their conversation.

“Tell him to wear earplugs.”

“I’m not your carrier pigeon, tell him yourself,” Adelaide huffs, apparently disappointed not to have had a better reaction from either of them.

“If you’re done then I think we’ll be getting back to it now.” Alfred makes a shooing gesture with his hand, and Adelaide huffs once again, before turning and stomping out, leaving the door open wide behind her. 

Alfred gets up with a huff of his own to shut the door, before turning back to Edward. “Fancy picking up where we left off?”

Edward doesn’t reply, instead staring at the poster on the back of the door. “You have a Brokeback Mountain poster?” 

Alfred blushes. “I thought Heath Ledger was pretty cute. Plus, that movie made me sob like a baby.”

“I’ve never seen it. My parents called it ‘an abomination’ and banned it in the house. I guess I never really got around to it.” Edward shrugs. 

Alfred gapes at him. “How have I only just learned this about you?”

“I guess it never came up in conversation.”

“Right, put on your pyjamas, we’re having a movie night,” Alfred orders.

Edward does as he’s told, changing quickly into a t-shirt he may or may not have stolen from the back of Alfred’s wardrobe, and a pair of pyjama bottoms that Alfred bought for him for Christmas before they were even dating, with tiny chameleons on to match Alfred’s cat ones. 

They leave Dottie and Charlie curled up on Alfred’s bed, as Alfred half-drags him downstairs to the living room, where most of the family are curled up on enough sofas to seat a small army. He notices Emily and her husband are absent, probably putting their children to bed, and Adelaide also seems to have taken the chance for some alone time, but there’s still a rather sizeable gathering of Pagets staring directly at them as they enter the room.

“That didn’t take long,” Mary calls from the sofa, a teasing grin on her face.

“D’you need some pointers on how to please your man, Al?” George wriggles his eyebrows suggestively.

“I’m good thanks.” Alfred seems relatively unfazed, even with his parents sat mere meters away on the other side of the room. “Edward just told me he hasn’t watched Brokeback Mountain.”

The wave of shock that ripples around the room is damn near audible.

Clarence, who has been sat quietly in the corner, ignoring them in favour of whispering to his husband, pipes up, his face the picture of concern. “So you’re here to tell us you broke up with him?” 

Alfred purses his lips. “Not quite.”

“Alfred, I thought you said he was ‘the one’.” Charlotte teases from across the room, earning a snicker from her husband. Edward knows he should be fazed by the teasing, but really he’s far more interested in the fact that Alfred told his mother that he was ‘the one’. 

“Anyway,” Alfred says rather loudly, silencing any other murmurs travelling around the room, “I’ve brought him down here to pop his Brokeback Mountain cherry.”

The wolf-whistles, which seem to come from George and Mary, finally manage to make Edward blush, but before he can stammer out a reply, he’s being pushed down into an empty seat near Mary while Alfred goes to track down the DVD and set it up.

“He’s never dated anyone who hadn’t seen that film for longer than 2 months.” Mary whispers loudly to him, which draws Clarence’s attention again.

“Oh, stop scaring the poor boy, Mary. If Alfred says he’s the one, he’s the one.” Edward’s heart warms again at those words.

“I have to side with Mary on this one,” Clarence’s husband pipes up from behind him. “Even I know about Alfred’s obsession with this film.”

“We all knew he was gay two years before he came out because he watched it twice a week.” George joins in.

“Shut up, all of you.” Alfred huffs, returning to the sofa, remote in hand, as the logos begin to play on the TV.

“He took you to his room, right?” Mary stage whispers again. “Did you see the posters?”

Edward nods mutely, unsure how exactly to react.

“After he came out, he plastered that room with them. I don’t think there was a single inch of wall on show between posters of The Backstreet Boys and Tom Daley-“

“Oh, I remember his crush on Tom Daley. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen Alfred watch sports with any degree of enthusiasm.” Alfred glares at George, who doesn’t even bat an eyelash. 

“Which boys did you have up on your wall, Drums?” Mary asks, prodding his arm.

Edward doesn’t really know how to begin to explain his answer to her question, but, thankfully, Alfred interrupts to shush them as the opening credits start; his timing is impeccable, as always. 

“It’s starting!” He whisper-yells, nudging Edward the same way an excited kid would as he tucks up his feet and rests his head on Edward’s shoulder, settling in to watch the movie.

By the end of the film, Edward has cried more times than he can count. Alfred’s parents had disappeared off to bed halfway through, and Richard and Clarence hadn’t been far behind. George had fallen asleep about twenty minutes in, despite his insistence that he could stay up for the whole film, and Mary had started snoring by the time the credits began to roll, leaving Edward and Alfred sniffing quietly and rubbing their eyes alone.

“I can’t believe that was your favourite movie-“

“Still is.”

“It’s a fucking sob fest, Al, couldn’t you have picked a happy one?”

Alfred shrugs, nestling closer into Edward’s shoulder. “It’s not like there were many gay movies to pick from, all of them were sad.” 

“That’s fair,” Edward acquiesces. He’s about to ask if Alfred wants a drink, but, when he looks down, Alfred’s eyes are closed. “Right, I think it’s time to get you to bed.” 

“I’m not a toddler, Edward,” He mumbles, snuggling a little deeper into Edward’s shoulder anyway.

Edward smiles just a little, before extricating himself from Alfred’s arms and legs and standing up, much to Alfred’s complaint. He makes quick work of tucking a blanket over Mary and George, not sure he’s willing to deal with three groggy Pagets at once, and turns back to Alfred.

“Are you going to get up or do I need to carry you?” 

Alfred hums, eyes still closed, with a small smile. “Carry me.” He holds out his arms expectantly, making Edward roll his eyes, crouching down to pick Alfred up bridal style. 

As it turns out, Alfred is rather heavy, and the walk back to his bedroom is longer than Edward remembers, which means he has to stop halfway up and mutter a quick incantation for strength. He’s not about to let his boyfriend down. 

As Edward is attempting to turn the doorknob without letting Alfred fall, Adelaide appears in the hallway, fully dressed and clearly trying to sneak out of the house. She gives Edward a quick once over, before shaking her head. “Gross. You really are perfect for him.” She doesn’t bother waiting for a reply, turning on her heel to tiptoe down the stairs, dancing over creaky steps in the direction of the door, he assumes.

Eventually, Edward manages to get into the bedroom, dropping Alfred onto the bed as gently as possible, grabbing Alfred’s phone out of his pocket and putting it on to charge next to his own, before crawling in beside him, pulling up the covers over them.

Alfred rolls into his side with a sleepy grin, not even opening his eyes. “My hero,” he mumbles, pressing a kiss onto Edward’s nose, apparently having missed his target of Edward’s lips.

“G’Night, Alfred.” Edward grins, pressing a quick kiss to Alfred’s lips, before snuggling into his side and falling asleep.

 

* * *

 

He wakes up the next morning to the sound of clanging right outside the door. Momentarily disoriented, it takes him a second to get his bearings again, remembering he’s in Alfred’s house, in his childhood bedroom. With Alfred still sleeping soundly somehow, Edward rolls to his feet and pads over to the door, opening it to reveal three small children brandishing saucepans and wooden spoons.

He blinks a couple of times to make sure he’s not imagining it.

“Um, hello?” he stares at the children, all of whom stopped banging their pans when he opened the door.

“Mama said you need to get up,” the child in the middle, a girl with blonde pigtails who seems to be the oldest, pipes up.

“She said if you don’t come downstairs in 5 minutes you’ll be in big trouble,” another, child, a boy with bluest eyes he’s ever seen adds.

“Did she say you could use pans and spoons to wake us up?” Edward asks, rubbing his eyes.

All three of them shake their heads furiously, before the third child, another girl who looks like the youngest of the three, speaks, flashing him a gap-toothed grin as she does. “Auntie Addie gave them to us.”

Well, that explained it.

“Okay, great,” Edward mumbles, “we’ll be down in a minute.”

Apparently satisfied, the three children disappear downstairs, leaving Edward to retreat back into the bedroom.

He shakes Alfred gently by the shoulder, trying to wake him up nicely. Unfortunately, he knows from experience how much of a deep sleeper Alfred is – having spent a morning in the Paget household, he can’t say he’s surprised – leading him to take more drastic action, yelling at Alfred, while continuing to shake him, until he comes too.

Alfred, bleary eyed and still a little groggy, mumbles something along the lines of ‘what the fuck?’

“We’re supposed to be at breakfast right now.”

Alfred rubs a hand over his eyes and frowns. “Shit. Dad’s a stickler for family breakfasts, I forgot to set an alarm.”

“Come on, I still need your family to like me,” Edward huffs, standing up and attempting to drag Alfred out of bed.

Alfred, despite still being half-asleep, giggles as Edward tugs him off the bed, rolling floppily onto the floor and lying there in spite of Edward’s best attempts. 

When Alfred eventually pulls himself to his feet, Edward makes an attempt to smooth down his hair, which is sticking up every which way.

“I can sort out my own hair, Edward. Besides, my family has seen worse. It’s yours you should be worrying about.” Alfred pushes Edward’s hands aside to ruffle his curls with a grin.

“Do we have to be dressed for breakfast?” Edward changes the topic, running a hand self-consciously though his hair and biting back a smile when Alfred bats his hands away to sort it himself. He tries to remember if the children that had woken them were wearing pyjamas or not, but the whole conversation is already a blur.

“What kind of heathen are you? Breakfast is a pyjamas-only affair.” Alfred shakes his head disapprovingly, before crouching down with a smile as Charlie wanders over with Dottie on her back and nuzzles at his leg tentatively.

“I don’t know, your family seem kind of fancy.” Edward shrugs.

Alfred chuckles, standing up again, with Dottie in his hand, placing her on Edward’s shoulder with a smile. His hand lingers there for a second, his face taking on a thoughtful expression as he stares up at Edward. “Did you really carry me upstairs last night?” he says after a long pause.

Edward puffs out his chest a little, hoping to impress Alfred. “I did. Unfortunately, I had to leave George and Mary on the sofa though.”

“Mary’s slept in worse places, and I’m sure George will get over it.” Alfred shrugs. “Now come on, before my dad sends someone to get us.”

“He already- you really didn’t hear?” Alfred looks at him quizzically. “All three of Emily’s kids were lined up outside the door hitting pans with wooden spoons.”

“Oh man, seriously?" 

“You seem pretty desensitised to it.”

“When you grow up in a house with five siblings you learn to shut out the noise in the mornings.”

There’s a slight pang of elegy in Edward’s stomach. He hasn’t spoken to his brother since he left, and while Edward didn’t have to sleep in through the noise of five other siblings, his parents certainly had to learn to sleep through him and his brother having sword fighting matches with brooms at 5am. 

“Hey, you okay?” Alfred notices the slightly despondent look in Edward’s eyes and strokes his cheek gently, bringing him back into the present. 

Edward nods furiously. “Fine.” He doesn’t really feel like explaining it all right now. Maybe he’ll talk to Alfred about it later, when they get home.

“You sure? Because-“ Alfred is cut off mid-sentence by a series of loud knocks.

“Alfred, if you and your boyfriend don’t get your asses down to the breakfast table right now, I swear to god-“

“We’re coming, Addie!” Alfred yells back. 

“Dad made pancakes this morning and they’re getting cold, hurry the fuck up!”

“We’re not done talking about this, okay?” Alfred gives Edward a pointed look, and seems satisfied with the nod he receives by way of response, going to the door and opening it before Adelaide can knock again. 

Edward pastes on a smile and follows Alfred out of the door, trying to shake the memories of his family that this trip is bringing up, like they’re snowflakes he can brush off his shoulders.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back with another chapter! 
> 
> i got super invested in side characters while i was writing this, like i always do. i'd probably die for adelaide at this point and i also got really invested in richard's character even though he's even more of a side character bc he's literally alfred's brother's husband. i haven't even named emily's husband but clarence's husband gets a whole scene to himself bc idk im invested in his character you know?
> 
> anyway we've got a dmc with adelaide, and also a dmc with charlotte too, plus some cuteness and some backstory, so enjoy!!

Edward is exhausted.

As if the late night wasn’t enough, the Paget family’s ‘casual walk to the beach’ was more of a four-hour hike across the Welsh hills. Not quite what he’d expected.

He hadn’t even thought to pack hiking shoes, which left him with a pair belonging to Alfred’s father, which were a touch too big, padded out with two pairs of thick socks, one of which belonged to Alfred, because he hadn’t brought any of those either. Luckily, he’d had the good sense to pack a warm jacket and a scarf, but unfortunately that didn’t do much to help with the fact that he was running on very little sleep. Even Henry’s famous pancakes, coupled with a cup of hot coffee, hadn’t helped him this morning.

With Alfred deep in conversation with Mary about the latest news on a childhood friend, Edward decides to seek out the only person who seems to be more miserable than him.

Adelaide is stomping ahead at the front of the group, somehow still looking effortlessly cool in black jeans and a leather jacket with a dark grey scarf and a beanie tugged down over her red hair to try and stop it from whipping around too wildly in the wind. Unfortunately, it only seems to achieve so much with wild red curls flying out at every angle, making her look like some kind of fearsome Celtic warrior queen.

He falls into step beside her, which earns a sharp glare, and, for a moment, he regrets approaching her, until he notices that her eyes are rimmed with red.

“Where did you sneak off to last night?” Edward asks. He’s curious, but he also can’t help but think it might be the reason why she’s so upset this morning.

“None of your business, Drums,” Adelaide snarls, and Edward lifts his hands in mock-surrender.

“You don’t have to tell me. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You seem off this morning.”

“So what? I hardly know you, why would I talk to you about all of this?” Adelaide huffs and wraps her arms tightly around her chest.

“Sometimes it’s easier that way.” Edward shrugs. “But, hey, I don’t mind walking in silence.”

For a moment, Adelaide seems content with that, nodding sharply without making any particular effort to stride off ahead of him or drop back. Hardly a minute passes before she opens her mouth to speak to him.

“I snuck out to see my girlfriend. Or, well, ex-girlfriend, I guess.” Adelaide’s arms tighten around her body, like she’s trying to give herself a hug. “We broke up a couple of days ago, but she called last night asking me to come over. I figured she wanted to make up or apologise or something.” 

“And did she?”

Adelaide shakes her head and lets out a slightly bitter laugh. “She was just lonely. It was a fucking booty call.”

“That’s messed up, Addie.” Edward winces a little. Can he call her Addie or is that a family thing? She doesn’t protest to the nickname, so he assumes he’s in the clear.

“She cheated on me. That’s why we broke up. That’s why I had to sneak out, because I knew everyone else would’ve stopped me.” She lets out a breath that almost sounds like a laugh. “Maybe I should’ve let them.”

“Love makes us do crazy things.” Edward shrugs, bumping into her side a little. “But you gotta cut her loose, you know? She doesn’t deserve you.” 

Adelaide snorts. “Thanks, Drums. I’ll keep that in mind.” She bumps into his side as well by way of reciprocation, and offers him a small smile. “From what I hear, your road to romance wasn’t exactly smooth.” 

It’s Edward’s turn to snort. “You can say that again.”

“Alfred is a total dumbass when it comes to guys. From what I hear it’s his fault you guys took forever to get together?” 

“How much do you know?” 

“Mina keeps me pretty informed.” Adelaide smirks at him.

“Well, I can’t say I’m totally innocent. I mean, it’s not like I ever made a move until he basically professed his love for me.” Edward shrugs, stuffing his hands into his pockets a little awkwardly.

“Relax, Drums, nobody’s judging you.” Adelaide grins at him. “I’m just glad he’s happy, you know?” She glances back to where Alfred is still chattering animatedly with Mary, and Edward sees a slight softness come over her. “You keep him that way, okay? Don’t go breaking his heart.”

Edward laughs, although he can’t help but feel a little uneasy. She’s a fierce sight to behold, even if she does look like she spent the night crying. “I don’t plan on it.” 

“Okay, good.” Adelaide nods. 

Edward is about to reply when Alfred arrives at his side, grabbing his hand. “Are you threatening my boyfriend, Addie?”

“Only a little bit.” She nudges Edward with a grin.

Alfred squeezes Edward’s hand. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m all good.” 

“Ugh, you guys are disgusting.” Addie rolls her eyes, her cool façade firmly back in place. “Can you step back a little, you’re really killing my vibe right now.”

“Can’t have that, can we?” Alfred rolls his eyes before slowing his pace a little to let Adelaide walk ahead of them.

The two of them walk, hand in hand, in relative silence for a little while, until Adelaide is a little further away, at which point Alfred turns to him with a mischievous grin. “Did she tell you what’s up with her? Any details?”

Edward glances at her quickly retreating form, and hesitates for a moment. She’d admitted that she didn’t want the others to know, because they would disapprove, and he’s fairly sure telling Alfred would be the same as telling all of his other siblings as well. But, at the same time, Edward isn’t really keen to lie to him. “It’s just break up stuff,” Edward says, deciding that that’s a safe middle ground. “Something to do with her ex.”

“I never thought they were gonna stay together. I mean it’s Addie, you know? She hasn’t been in a relationship that lasted longer than six months in her whole life. And besides, she’s young. She’ll find the right girl eventually.” Alfred watches Adelaide carefully, looking almost concerned for her. “She’s okay though, right?”

“I think she will be.” 

“I guess that’s what matters, right?”

Edward feels that familiar twinge of sadness, that memory of a younger brother he used to protect and look out for. He wonders where his brother is now, what he’s doing. Maybe he’s married. Maybe he has kids. “Right,” he manages.

He’s saved by Charlotte, who arrives at his side and takes him by the arm. “Alfred, if you don’t mind, I’ll steal your lovely boyfriend for a while. I’d quite like to get to know him a little better.”

Alfred grumbles a little, but eventually strides ahead, presumably to tease Adelaide, or pump her for information. Edward is almost certain that she’ll snap and punch him in the face if he pries too much, but Alfred probably knows her better than him, so it’s his call.

“How are you coping?” Charlotte asks, “I suspect you’re probably exhausted after last night. I did try and suggest we drive to the beach, but Henry never listens once he sets his mind to something.”

“Seems to run in the family,” Edward chuckles. 

Charlotte laughs, flicking a lock of blonde hair back over her shoulder. “You’re right there. All of my children are obstinate old mules. They’re a nightmare. When Alfred came home last year, he was rambling about how Jamie thought you were in love with him, and he was adamant you weren’t, no matter how many times Henry and I told him his chances were probably better than he thought, and now look at you.” 

“He’s a stubborn one.” Edward smiles a little fondly.

They settle into a comfortable silence as they climb up a rather steep hill on their way to the beach, and Edward finds himself questioning, yet again, why on earth he let Alfred talk him into this. Emily’s husband had stayed at home with the kids, Edward doesn’t see why he couldn’t do the same.

Charlotte brings him back into conversation when they begin their descent on the other side of the hill. “If you don’t mind me asking, Edward, are you in touch with your family at all?” The way she speaks is so tentative, cautious almost, a though she is afraid of upsetting him. Alfred probably warned her it was a touchy subject.

Edward shakes his head a little. “I’m not. I left them behind when I left my coven.”

“Did you leave them for the same reasons?”  
  
Edward nods sharply, not quite sure he can muster up the words without stumbling over them. 

Charlotte purses her lips. “That’s just dreadful. I’ll never understand how a mother could stop loving her son simply because of who he loves.” 

It’s all Edward can do not to burst into tears. “Maybe it was for the best, you know? I mean, if I hadn’t left, I never would’ve met Alfred. He made everything easier.”

“I’m happy to hear that,” Charlotte smiles slightly, but her eyes are misted over. “Have you never thought of reaching out to them, though? Even after all these years?”

“I’ve thought about contacting my brother more times than I can count,” Edward pauses, chewing on his lip. “I guess I’m scared. I don’t think I could take that rejection again.”

He doesn’t know why he finds it so easy to open up to her about all of this. He hasn’t even talked to Alfred about his family in much detail. In fact, he doesn’t even think Alfred knows he has a brother. It’s at times like these that he misses Dottie. He’d left her at the house so that Charlie had someone to keep her company, since Charlie obviously couldn’t make the 4-hour hike, and nobody was willing to carry her.

Charlotte squeezes his arm. “If it’s any help, I think you should give it a try. You might be surprised. And talk to Alfred about this. He’d hate to know you were suffering in silence.”

Edward nods. She’s right, and he knows that. “Thank you.”

“If you need anything – _anything_ – you can come to me. No boy should have to live his life without a mother.”

 

* * *

 

 

They arrive at the beach eventually, and find it completely empty. It doesn’t seem to be a huge tourist destination in mid-October, which Edward doesn’t find particularly surprising, given the fact that the wind is whipping his hair in every possible direction and threatening to tug his scarf from around his neck. 

Alfred, however, seems to be absolutely in his element, tugging off his socks and shoes and rolling up his trousers so he can wade ankle-deep into the sea. There’s something perfectly serene that settles over his face as he stands there, waves occasionally lapping against his calves, hair fluttering in the wind, eyes close, face tilted up to the sky. Edward doesn’t think he’s seen Alfred look like that before.

“Not a fan of the ocean?” Richard interrupts his train of thought, sidling up beside him with a small smile.

“Not in October.”

Richard chuckles a little, looking out at the sea, where almost everyone else is tugging off their socks and dipping their toes in, with the exception of Adelaide, who’s sat on a rock a little way off, hunched over her phone. “All of these Pagets are mad for the ocean, I’ve never understood it.”

“Aren’t you a Paget through and through by now?” 

“This is one trait you don’t inherit by spending time with them.” Richard shakes his head, his face cracking into a grin as Clarence wades out of the water and jogs in their direction. 

“Are you trying to warn Drums about the dangers of joining the Paget family?” Clarence wraps and arm around Richard’s waist, snuggling into his side. 

“I think it’s only fair that he knows what he’s getting himself into.” Richard pulls Clarence to him in a semi-awkward side hug. “You’re shivering,” he comments quietly to his husband.

“I’m not.” Clarence mumbles back, somewhat petulantly.

“Yes, you are. I told you you’d get cold if you went in the sea.” Richard huffs, but he’s smiling as he unwraps his scarf and puts it around his husband’s neck instead. “C’mon, let’s get you dry and back in your warm socks.”

The moment feels so intimate, so intensely domestic, that Edward looks away, just in time to catch sight of Alfred right before he slams into Edward’s side, wrapping his arms around his waist. 

“Are you gonna come in the sea?” 

“I think I’d rather avoid pneumonia, if that’s okay with you.”

Alfred laughs and grabs Edward’s hand with his, tugging him along to stroll down the beach. 

“You’re not wearing your shoes, Alfred,” Edward protests.

Alfred shrugs. “I like the feeling of the sand between my toes.”

“Why?” Edward wrinkles his nose. Personally, he finds the feeling of sand between his toes disgusting. 

“I don’t know, maybe it’s another Paget quirk. We’re seaside witches through and through.” 

“I’m pretty sure the Drummonds are just city witches.” Edward shrugs, and he doesn’t miss the way Alfred’s smile falters a little. “Your mum asked me about my family.”

“Oh, Edward, I’m sorry, I told her it was a sore subject, I didn’t think she’d just bring it up out of the blue-“

“Hey, no, it’s okay. It was… kind of nice, actually, to talk about it. She made me realise that I should have been talking about all of this with you.” 

“You don’t have to-“

“I want to, though. The same way I wanted to tell you about my coven.” Edward squeezes Alfred’s hand gently, coming to a stop a reasonable distance from Alfred’s family and tugging him over to a rock at the edge of the beach for them to sit on.

“Okay, what do you want to talk about, then?” 

Edward takes a deep breath before he speaks, looking over Alfred’s shoulder to where his family seem to have set up some kind of football match. “I’m thinking of trying to get in touch with my brother.”

Alfred hesitates for a moment. Edward can practically see the word ‘brother’ flashing in big red letters in front of his eyes. “Wow, Edward, that’s-“

“It’s a step, and it scares the shit out of me, but being here, with your family… I don’t know, Al, it made me wish I had something like this? And maybe my parents were beyond reaching but my brother… I mean, I don’t even know how he felt about it, I just left him behind with everyone else.” The words come out in a rush, almost like he’s letting out a breath he’s been holding for years now.

Alfred nods, digesting the information. “Okay then.” He reaches over to take Edward’s hand, squeezing it gently with his own. “Whatever you need. I’m here.”

Immediately, it feels as though a weight has been lifted off of Edward’s shoulders, like he can finally breathe easily again. “Okay. Okay, great!” He grins, leaping to his feet and pulling Alfred up with him, dragging him back in the direction of the rest of his family, who seem to be arguing now over whether or not something counted as a goal in their makeshift football match. “Come on, we’re missing all the fun!”

“Woah, hey, slow down!” Alfred laughs as he stumbles along behind Edward, tugging him to a halt and pulling him into his body, until they’re nose to nose. “I love you so much,” Alfred whispers, bumping their noses together.

“Yeah, I love you too.” Edward pecks him quickly on the lips, before pulling back again. “Now hurry up! I don’t want your family to think I’m an anti-social loser!”

“Okay, okay, I’m coming!” Alfred follows behind him, watching Edward practically skip down the beach, like a huge weight has just been taken off his shoulders. God, he didn’t think it was possible to love someone this much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> god, i hope you liked this! 
> 
> if there are any siblings you'd like to see more of then let me know and i'll work them into the next chapter since im literally working without a plan. 
> 
> also what did you think of this? i feel like a threw a whole lot of plot into this one through like a fuckton of dialogue... let me know what you thought! 
> 
> thank you for reading <3


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter took me so long im sorry! things have been crazy busy bc im off to uni soon and i have so much shit to sort yikes. but anyway, the chapter is here! there's a bit more george, as requested, he seems to be a bit of a favourite! and, of course, some obligatory angst bc honestly a fic without angst is no fic of mine.
> 
> enjoy!

Alfred is, unfortunately, walking alone as they begin their walk back home. Clarence and Richard have stolen Edward for some in-depth chat about politics Alfred frankly couldn’t care less about, and his parents are being sickeningly romantic, walking arm-in-arm, and George is off causing mischief somewhere, probably with Emily. He thought about going to walk with Addie to tease her some more, but she still seems to be touchy about her break-up, so he decided it would be better to give her some space and walk alone. 

God, he wishes Charlie were here, but Edward has been feeding her under the table a lot, so she’s gained a fair bit of weight and is now far too heavy to carry, and fat too overweight to walk, not that she would have walked anyway.

“Hey, Plumpy, wait up!” Alfred can hear footfalls approaching him from behind so he pauses, turning to see George hurtling towards him. 

“George!” He yells, unfortunately not in time to warn George and convince him to stop, causing him to crash into Alfred at high speed and send them both sprawling on the floor. “What the hell, Gege?” Alfred mutters, attempting to shove George off of him. 

“You moved!” George protests.

“I thought you’d stop!” Alfred exclaims. “Get off me, you big lump.”

“Sorry, I forgot Edward is the only man you want on top of you now.” George wriggles his eyebrows suggestively as he rolls off of Alfred and scrambles to his feet. 

“You disgust me, George.” 

“Boys? Everything okay?” Their mother glances behind and takes in the sight of Alfred, still sat on the ground.

“Plumpy just fell, Mama, he’s fine. Aren’t you, Alf?” George calls back, turning to Alfred with a sly grin. 

“Yes,” Alfred replies through gritted teeth, grabbing onto George’s arm and hauling himself up, making sure to drag on him as much as physically possible without toppling him. Their mother, apparently placated, turns away and carries on walking, leaving the two of them to it.

“Looks like I’m not the only one trying to seduce your man,” George nods in the direction of Edward, Richard, and Clarence, who are all still engaged in conversation. “Do you think they’re negotiating a threesome at the moment?”

“Ew, gross, George, that’s disgusting.” Alfred shoves him, before quickly tucking his hands back into his pockets. He’d given Edward his gloves back at the beach, and was now beginning to regret his decision.

“Okay, on a serious note though, he’s doing a pretty good job.”

“At what, managing all of you lunatics?”

“Pretty much. Admit it, your past boyfriends were crap when it came to meeting the family.” George knocks into his side playfully, and Alfred cracks a small smile, fixing his eyes on Edward.

“He’s doing amazingly.” Alfred chews on his lip. “I was so nervous about bringing him here. I mean, really, I was worried you guys might scare him off or something. He’d spend 5 minutes here and decide I wasn’t worth the hassle or something.”

“Alf, come on, we’ve talked about this-“ 

“I know, Gege, but you know I can’t help it. Anyway, he’s set all of that to rest. He just… took all of the Paget craziness in his stride, and he’s acting like he’s already a part of the family. I mean, come on, he cracked Addie, for fuck’s sake. Even Richard didn’t do that the first time he met her and he’s like the nicest guy on the planet.” Alfred feels just a little bit smug that Edward has managed to beat the record for any of his siblings partners when it comes to befriending Adelaide. 

“He’s a keeper. I think mum would be distraught if you didn’t marry him.” 

Alfred’s mind briefly flickers back to the memory of Edward talking about how he’d confided in his mother. He’s trying hard not to resent him for that. He shakes his head like he can clear that thought. “I’ve been thinking about that.”

“About what?” George turns to him, before realisation catches up with him, and his mouth drops open. “Marriage?” 

“Maybe.” Alfred bites back a smile.

“You realise that if you get married before Mary she might actually kill you?”

Alfred laughs. “Well maybe if Mary could pin down a man we wouldn’t be in this situation.” 

“You know she can’t help having bad taste.” 

“Still not my problem.” 

“Anyway!” George quickly steers the conversation back on course before they can devolve into meaningless bickering. “Tell me more about this potential proposal.”

“I mean, I haven’t put that much thought into it yet…” 

“Show me the Pinterest board, Alfred.” George knows his own brother, and he knows that if there isn’t a Pinterest board, he’s not really serious about it. 

Alfred is all too willing to pull out his phone and flick through endless pictures of rings, and talk about the cut of the diamond and whether or not he wants to get the bands engraved or not. He also pulls up the notes page on his phone where he has listed out potential ways to propose, both intimate and public.

“I don’t know if he’d like a public proposal, though, he’s a bit less showy than me, you know? Proposing at, like, a concert or something might scare him off.”

“Alfred, I hardly know the guy, why are you asking me for advice about what he’d like?”

Alfred shrugs, before taking his phone back and tucking it into his pocket again. “Obviously I don’t have to remind you that all of this is top secret.”

George responds by making a zipper motion over his mouth, before offering Alfred a cheeky grin. “I’m happy for you, Alf, really. I know I make a show of flirting with your boyfriend and everything, but you guys are great for each other. But you definitely shouldn’t propose to him at a concert.”

“Oh, piss off, Gege.” Alfred knocks into his side, hard enough to make him stumble.

 

* * *

 

By the time Edward gets to bed, he is more tired than he thought it was possible to be. He changes and brushes his teeth at the speed of light, and is in bed before Alfred has so much as taken off his socks. 

“You tired?” Alfred chuckles at his boyfriend, who is already snuggling up in the duvet.

“Like you wouldn’t believe.” 

Alfred laughs and changes as quickly as he can, before climbing under the covers and cuddling up next to Edward, tangling their legs together as he positions himself to rest his head on Edward’s chest.

There’s a comfortable silence between them for a few moments, as Alfred quickly leans over to turn off the bedside lamp and then settles back into Edward’s side.

“You never told me about your family,” Alfred says after a moment, his voice feeling too loud in the dark room.

Edward hesitates for a second. “You never asked.” 

“I didn’t think you’d want to talk about it.” His tone is just a little clipped. It would be almost unnoticeable to anyone who didn’t know him extremely well. He can’t help the slight edge of resentment still sticking in his stomach, even after his conversation with George.

“I didn’t. I thought it was easier keeping it in.”

“And now?”

Edward sighs. “I don’t know, Alfred. Charlotte pulled it out of me, okay? I’m sorry I didn’t talk to you about it before but you have to understand how hard it all was for me. It’s not a memory I like reliving.” 

Alfred feels Edward’s breath catch just slightly, and all his feelings of resentment dissipate. He doesn’t want to start a fight, especially not over this. “Edward, I’m sorry. I know. I shouldn’t have held that against you.”

It’s like Edward’s body crumples, like a slowly deflating balloon, softening into the mattress slowly. “It’s just difficult to even think about.” 

“I know,” Alfred whispers, running a hand along Edward’s side in a soothing gesture. “I know.”

“I mean, imagine being 15 and realising you were gay, and being so afraid, because everyone around you had always told you how awful that was. I kept a whole part of me hidden for _years_ , because I was so scared of what would happen if people knew. Coming here and seeing how _easy_ it was for you…” Edward sits up and shakes his head. “I’m sorry, this isn’t about you.”

“I know,” Alfred whispers again, sitting up and wrapping his arms around Edward’s waist. 

“I dated Florence for a while because I thought maybe I just needed to try it. Clearly that didn’t work out. I told my brother, but I don’t think he understood, so he told his friends. When my parents found out… My own father hexed me. He thought he could _fix_ me.” His voice cracks as he says the word ‘fix’, his face twisting as though the word physically hurts to say.

“Edward…” Alfred can’t even find the right words to express how sorry he is, how much he wants to find Edward’s father and punch him in the face, or hex him into oblivion.

“The only person who didn’t shun me was Florence. When she came out, people started doing the same to her. Eventually we realised it just wasn’t safe there anymore. I mean, fucking hell, I didn’t feel safe in my own fucking house. So we left. We were… God, we were only 18.” Edward pulls his legs right to up his chest, staring directly ahead. He’s trying not to cry, but Alfred can see a few tears slipping down his cheeks. 

“It’s okay, you’re okay.” Alfred runs his hand up and down Edward’s back as he tries to catch his breath before he speaks again.

“We were… completely alone. I mean, we were 18 and we were in a new city, and we had no family, no coven, no connections, no money… I managed to get through uni on a scholarship, and Flo found a job at a bakery so we could pay rent. She was all I had, you know? I mean without her…” Edward trails off uncertainly. “I don’t know if I’d be here today without her.”

“Edward…”

“And then you came along, and… and everything changed.” Edward turns to face Alfred, reaching up a hand to cup his cheek gently. “You made everything okay again. Suddenly I didn’t need a family, because I had you, and I had a coven who loved me, and suddenly my life… felt worth living again.”

Alfred wipes at his eyes furiously, because, dammit, he’s not supposed to be the one crying. 

“I love you so much.” Edward rubs his thumb gently across Alfred’s cheekbone. “You’re my family, Alfred. You, and Florence, and Mina, and our coven, and maybe even your crazy ass family too.”

God, they’re a mess. Both of them are crying now, with the covers pushed down around their waists. 

“Anything you need, while you figure all this out, I’m here for you. If you decide to get in touch with your brother, or if you decide not to, or whatever, I’ll be right next to you for it all.” Alfred reaches for Edward’s hand and squeezes it tightly.

Edward presses his eyes shut and drops his head forwards so their foreheads are resting against each other. “Thank you,” he whispers. “Thank you.”

Neither of them know how long they stay like that, heads resting together until they stop crying, and their breath evens out a little, and the entire house has gone quiet, with the exception of the muffled snores which are just about audible from George’s room next-door. 

“We should get some sleep,” Alfred whispers at last. Edward mumbles something, clearly halfway asleep already, and willingly lies down as Alfred shuffles to the side. He’s asleep the moment his head hits the pillow.

Alfred snuggles into Edward’s side, pressing a gentle kiss onto his jawbone as he settles down, tugging the covers up to their shoulders. He still hasn’t quite gotten used to the fact that he gets to share a bed with Edward every night now. He wonders if that feeling of exhilaration will fade with time. For now, however, every night feels like a gift.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading! i have literally no plan for this fic so if there's anything you want to see then let me know! 
> 
> i thrive on comments, please let me know what you thought!
> 
> thank you again <3 <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i did some actual research into drums bc i couldn't find info on his siblings anywhere but after some sleuthing i found out he's actually one of 9, five of which survived into adulthood. but it's too late for that now bc i only mentioned one brother so i guess we're sticking with just the one younger brother and fuck accuracy. i did the accuracy thing with alfred, that's enough for me.
> 
> also i am so so so sorry this took so long, getting settled at uni took me an age and then suddenly i didn't have any time because i had freshers, and then i had lectures and books to read, but today i managed to find a bit of time to finish this chapter which has sat, half completed, for about a month now.
> 
> this may be a little bit of a mess, apologies in advance for any mistakes or typos, please let me know if you spot any!!

When Edward wakes up on his second morning in the Paget family home, he’s pleased to find that there are no children banging pots together outside the door. In fact, the house is almost silent. Apparently, when the Pagets aren’t getting up at the crack of dawn, they sleep in like nothing else.

Edward sits up a little, and feels Alfred shuffle, muttering incoherently, before rolling over to the other side of the bed. He smiles and presses a quick kiss onto the top of Alfred’s head, before reaching for his book on the bedside table and flicking through to where he left off. 

Alfred stirs again an hour or so later, rolling to face Edward and blinking up at him with bleary eyes.

“How long’ve you been ‘wake?” He mumbles, bringing an arm up to drape over his eyes, as though he’s protecting them from the sunlight filtering through a small gap in the curtains.

“Not long.” Edward grins, pressing a quick kiss onto Alfred’s lips. 

“Y’know, you don’t have to wake up early unless there’s something planned.” 

“I know.” Edward smiles a little as Charlie trots across the room from her bed in the corner and hops up to join them in bed, squishing herself into the small gap between them. 

“So I was thinking,” Alfred speaks up after a few minutes, his voice noticeably clearer than when he first woke up, “I don’t really know anything about your brother. How old he is, whether he looks like you, I mean, I don’t even know his name.”

“I never really mentioned him before, I guess. It felt weird to bring him up when he wasn’t part of my life anymore.” Edward closes his book and sets it back on the bedside table. 

“I want to know everything about you, Edward. The good, the bad, and the ugly. As much as you’re willing to share.”

Edward’s lips twitch up in a smile. “Okay then,” he hesitates for a moment, wondering where to begin. “His name is Arthur.” Edward stops short, his expression falling. “I don’t really know what else to say about him. I mean, I haven’t seen him since he was… God, maybe 14?” 

“What did he look like?” Alfred prompts quietly.

“Everyone always used to say he looked exactly like me. His hair was always messy though, and I liked to keep mine quite short because I hated my curls. Artie didn’t care though, when he was 13 he grew it so long that when mum eventually convinced him to cut it off they donated it all to that charity that makes wigs for kids with cancer.”

“He sounds like a good kid, Edward.”

Edward pauses for just a second, the words sticking a little in his throat. “He was. I’m sure he still is. Fuck, I mean he could be dead for all I know. I don’t know if anyone would have bothered to let me know if…” 

Alfred wraps and arm tightly around Edward’s shoulders, and presses a quick kiss onto his neck. “Don’t assume the worst.”

“That wouldn’t be the worst case scenario, Alfred.” Edward’s voice sounds hollow all of a sudden. “The worst would be if I found him and he hated me too, just like my parents.” 

“Edward, c’mon, he’s your brother.”

“Yeah, and they were my parents, Alf, not everyone is as welcoming as your mum and dad.”

Alfred flinches at the harshness of his tone, leaning back just a little. Edward reacts almost instantly, wrapping an arm around Alfred’s waist to stop him pulling away.

“I’m sorry I snapped, it’s just… difficult.”

“But you don’t have to bottle all of this up, you know you can talk about it with me. Maybe we can look for him together-“

“No.” Edward cuts him off sharply. “I, uh, I just feel like this is something I want to do for myself, you know?” 

Alfred nods, although he hasn’t really paid Edward’s protest all that much attention. “Sure, whatever you need.”

Adelaide walks into their room before Edward can say anything else, with no reservations whatsoever apparently.

“Ever heard of knocking?” Alfred asks, but his voice is more resigned than annoyed. It would seem she does this a lot.

“Did I interrupt your early morning cuddlefest?” Adelaide scowls. 

“What do you want, Addie?” Alfred huffs, making a point of tucking himself properly into Edward’s side.

“Dad wants to chat to your boyfriend. I reckon he’s gonna whip out the good old shovel talk while mum’s at the hospital with George.” Adelaide flashes Edward a smile that’s oddly unsettling. 

“Why are they at the hospital?” Alfred pays no mind to the threat of the shovel talk,

“George was trying to levitate a vase, but Mary distracted him so it fell right on his head.” 

“Of course she did,” Alfred rolls his eyes while Edward stifles a giggle. It’s nice to know siblings never change.

“You’d better get ready, Drums. Dad’s waiting for you in his study.” 

Suddenly all thoughts of laughter dissipate. “Right. I’ll get on that.”

Adelaide flashes another unsettling grin at him, before slipping out of the room, leaving Edward alone with Alfred and his steadily growing anxiety. What if Alfred’s dad is going to announce that he doesn’t think Edward is good enough for his son? Or maybe it’ll be some peculiar test he’s bound to absolutely fail?

“Stop that.” Alfred can practically see Edward’s mind racing. “You know my parents already love you, and nothing is gonna change that. This is just my dad needing to hold at least some authority as a father figure, nothing serious will come of whatever he has to say.”

Edward nods somewhat frantically. “I know that, of course I know that, it’s just-“ 

“It’s just nothing. I’m fairly sure you can handle anything my dad throws at you.” A small smile plays across Alfred’s lips as he reaches for Edward’s hand, pressing a chaste kiss onto his knuckles. “That being said, he’s a punctual and I think it’s best you were on your way.”

Edward smiles, somewhat reassured, and leans in to kiss Alfred, just for a few seconds, until Alfred pushes him off with a huge, dorky grin.

“Go! You still need to get dressed!” 

“Okay, okay, I’m going.” Edward rolls out of bed as gracefully as he can manage, flashing Alfred one last smile before he stumbles over towards the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

Edward knocks three times on Henry’s office door. To be quite honest, he’s absolutely shitting himself, despite Alfred’s reassurances. He can’t help the fact that his mind is prone to running absolutely out of control.

“Come in.” Henry’s voice is gruff, echoing from somewhere within the room.

Edward pushes open the door and steps in as assertively as he can manage in his current state to find Henry, seated in a large leather armchair, book in hand, in a study that looks more like a library than a place of work. “You asked to see me, sir?”

Henry’s eyes crinkle at the corners as his face lights up in a grin. “You make it sound like you’ve been summoned by the headmaster, not your boyfriend’s father,” he chuckles, before picking up a cigar from the ashtray on the table beside him. “Come in, take a seat and stop hovering over there by the door.”

Edward does as he’s been told and takes a seat in the armchair opposite Henry, still feeling remarkably tense even as he sinks into the soft leather of the chair.

“Do you smoke, Edward?” Henry asks, as he brings the cigar to his lips.

“No, sir, not at all, although my father did.” 

Henry hums. “A good thing, it’s a terrible habit. I ought to stop, really, but old habits die hard. I’m glad Alfred won’t have to nag you the way he nags me.”

“No, sir.”

“Oh, stop with the ‘sir’s, Henry will do just fine,” the softness of his voice, thickened slightly with a welsh accent he’s noticed encroaching on Alfred’s words since he’s been home is oddly comforting. He ought to ask Alfred where his welsh accent is at some point, given how strong his father’s is, and his mother’s, come to think of it. “Can I get you a drink? Whiskey?”

“I’ll have what you’re having,” Edward defers to him. It’s not quite midday yet, but if Henry is busting out the alcohol then Edward won’t say no. Maybe it might tame those raging nerves of his.

“Excellent,” Henry nods, setting down his cigar and getting up to stride over to a small decanter, set in the corner with a few glasses.

God, this is like a scene from a movie, Edward thinks. Henry will be commencing the shovel talk any second now. 

“There you go, son, get that down you and maybe you’ll stop shaking.” Henry passes Edward a tumbler filled with a finger of whiskey, before turning and making his wat back to his own seat.

“Thank you, s-“ Edward catches himself- “Henry.”

“I’ll be honest with you, Edward, I didn’t bring you here to frighten you.” Henry smiles warmly at Edward, shuffling back in his seat to get comfortable. “I thought about it, but then I saw the way you look at my son and I realised I didn’t need to.”

“I would never do anything to hurt Alfred. He means the world to me, and I have no intention to spend my life with anyone else.”

“Well, I’m glad to hear that son. I understand you’ve had a difficult time, and I do want to assure you that, even if things between you and Alfred did go pear-shaped, you’ll always be welcome here. I think Charlotte would never speak to me again if I suggested otherwise. You’re a part of this family now, whether you and Alfred get married or not.” Henry is giving him that crinkly-eyed smile again, and Edward has to blink a few times to keep from crying.

“I can’t tell you what that means to me, Henry.” Edward chews on his lip uncertainly for a second, before speaking up again. “That does bring me nicely to something I rather wanted to ask you, if you don’t mind?”  
  
“No, by all means, son.” 

“I wanted to ask for Alfred’s hand in marriage.”

Henry’s face seems to pass through realisation, shock, and joy in the space of about a millisecond, and then he’s laughing and setting down his cigar to shake Edward’s hand with a face-splitting grin. “Well, Alfred’s hand isn’t mine to give, but I can certainly give you my blessing, and a hearty congratulations.”

Edward’s face splits into a slightly breathless smile. “Thank you, sir, I mean, Henry.”

“Have you bought a ring yet? You know our Alfred has expensive tastes.”

“I’ve reserved one that I think he might like. I’ve been saving for a while now. I know we haven’t been together that long but-“ 

“Son, when you know, you know. I knew Charlotte was the woman I wanted to spend my life with the moment I met her. Something of a whirlwind romance, you know.” 

“So I’ve heard.” Edward can’t stop smiling now. He hasn’t dared mention his plans to anyone, even Florence, but now that he’s said it aloud… Suddenly it feels so real, and the anticipation is driving him forwards, making him wish he could propose right this very second.

“You’ll have your hands full with that one, are you sure you wouldn’t prefer a lower maintenance husband?”

“I wouldn’t trade him for the world.”

Henry smiles, as though Edward has passed some kind of unspoken test, before taking another puff from his cigar and letting out a slightly stunned chuckle.

 

* * *

 

Hardly five seconds after Edward leaves the bedroom, dressed in a grey sweater that Alfred really thinks shouldn’t ever be worn out in public, Alfred is grabbing his laptop and pulling up Facebook. He hesitates for a second, mouse hovering over the search bar, before clicking and quickly typing in the name ‘Arthur Drummond’.

As it turns out, Arthur Drummond is a rather popular name, but Alfred commits himself to sifting carefully through the results in the hopes of tracking down Edward’s brother. He knows Edward asked him not to, but he’s absolutely certain that Edward will be happy to see that Alfred has already tracked down his long lost sibling and saved him a job. And besides, it’s not as though Alfred is planning to contact him. 

Some 150 Arthur Drummonds later, he finally happens upon one who, upon first glance, bears a striking resemblance to Edward. He can’t help himself, he clicks onto Arthur’s profile and immediately starts sifting through his timeline.

There are endless photographs – holiday photos of him with a woman, presumably his girlfriend, since there don’t appear to be his wedding photos. He’s a few years younger than Edward, maybe 21, and fresh out of university. From the looks of things, he went to St Andrews. So he’s smart.

His familiar is a snake, similar size to Florence’s, but a dark black instead of bright green. And Edward was right, Arthur looks almost exactly like him. His hair is closely cropped now, though, a far cry from Edward’s description of unruly curls, and he seems to wear polo shirts and button-downs as a default outfit. Everything about his appearance screams privilege. 

There are also pictures of him with two older people, who Alfred assumes are his parents. Edward’s parents. Frances and Charles. They seem to embody old money, perfectly groomed and dressed in fancy clothes. Frances has an air of sinister elegance, even when static in photographs, while Charles seems to be utterly imposing, despite the wrinkles lining his face.

They certainly look like the kind of people who would hex their own son.

He’s about to start snooping through Frances’ Facebook page when someone bursts into his room.

Alfred shuts his laptop immediately, for fear it might be Edward. Unfortunately, it’s just George.

“Well, I hope you’re not watching porn on there, because I will feel obliged to let your lovely boyfriend know so I can snap him up for myself,” George announces dramatically, before flopping down onto the bed.

“I’m just doing a bit of sleuthing on Edward’s family,” Alfred huffs, opening his laptop again to carry on.

George sits up immediately, his expression somewhat wary. “He won’t like that, Alfred, you know that.”

Alfred scoffs. “It’s not like I’m talking to them. I’m just saving him the job of sifting through hundreds of Arthur Drummonds to find his brother.”

“Alfred, I heard him tell you quite clearly that he wanted to do this for himself this morning.”

“So you’re eavesdropping now?”

“The walls aren’t that thick, Alfred, and you forget that our beds share a wall.” George corrects him. “I’m just trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help, George, I think I know my boyfriend better than you do,” Alfred huffs, making a point of not looking up from his laptop, where he’s now sifting through Frances’ photos.

George purses his lips, and looks at Alfred measuredly for a moment, before pushing himself up and off the bed. “Okay then. I rinse my hands of this.” He leaves quickly, shutting the door behind him without looking back.

Alfred glances up briefly, looking at the closed door, and then shakes his head, and turns back to his laptop.

 

* * *

 

Alfred waits until after dinner to broach the subject with Edward, when they’ve returned to his room for the night and are both changing into their pyjamas. 

“I did some research today,” Alfred says, as casually as he can, as he pulls on his pyjama bottoms.

“On what?” Edward’s mind is clearly elsewhere as he fumbles around the room looking for his t-shirt. “Have you seen my-“

He turns to see Alfred holding his t-shirt in his hand, having just picked it up from where it was tucked under his pillow. Alfred tosses it his way this a small smile.

“Thanks.” Edward pulls it on, before turning back to Alfred. “What did you research? Nude photos of the Jonas Brothers?” He offers Alfred a playful grin.

“I, well, I looked up your brother-“

“Alfred.” Edward’s entire face falls, but Alfred ignores the warning.

“I found him on Facebook. He looks just like you, and-“

“Alfred, stop.”

“He went to St Andrews, and he’s got a girlfriend-“

“Alfred!” Edward snaps, and Alfred’s rambling finally stops. Edward stares at him for a few seconds, as though he’s trying to find the words. “Why? Why did you… I don’t understand.”

“I thought you’d be happy.” Alfred frowns. 

“Happy?” Edward splutters. “I asked you not to look them up! I asked you to leave it to me!”

“But you’ve been so tense about it, I thought I could help-“ 

“But I specifically asked you not to. He’s not your brother, Alfred. You know how hard it was for me to even decide to get in touch with him, and now you’re doing half of it for me!”

“I just thought-“

“Thought what? That this would be a nice little project to help you pass the time?” Edward snaps. He can see Alfred’s face crumbling, can see him recoiling more and more with every word, but he can’t help it. “This is my life, Alfred, _my family_. Don’t you get that?”

“Why are you so upset about this?” Alfred bites back. “All I did was find his Facebook page, Edward! It’s not like I talked to him or anything!”  
  
“It doesn’t matter if you talked to him or not, what matters is that you currently know more about my brother than me. Do you realise how crap it is for me to have someone who hasn’t even met him tell me about my own brother?” Edward’s voice cracks a little, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. 

It’s like all the fight has ebbed out of both of their bodies.   
  
“Edward, I didn’t realise-“

“No, of course you didn’t, Alfred.” Edward sighs, before grabbing a jumper that’s hanging on the back of Alfred’s chair and turning towards the door.

“Wait, Edward, where are you going-“

“I need to clear my head. Take a walk or something.”

“Edward, wait, don’t-“ Alfred is answered with the sound of the door slamming shut.

_Fuck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whew, a bit of an emotional rollercoaster...
> 
> let me know what you guys thought of this!! i hope you liked this new chapter!! i'll try really hard to update a little faster this time and not leave you hanging for so long! 
> 
> thank you so much for reading, as always (and for sticking with me)!! <3 <3 <3


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im back! and without too much of a wait! that being said, this chapter is a little shorter than i was planning, but i decided to get the first half of this chapter out there, because this chunk ended up longer than i thought, so you guys have something to keep you going until i write the second half of the chapter, which might take a while because my assignments are piling up. but yeah, here's a new chapter, it's insanely dialogue heavy in that the whole thing is basically just a chunk of dialogue and not much else, so i hope you like that shit! 
> 
> enjoy the chapter!

“Come on, Flo, pick up, pick up, pick up,” Edward whispers as his phone rings. It goes to voicemail for the third time. He doesn’t bother leaving a message, hanging up the phone and throwing it onto the grass in front of him.

“You look like you could use a friend,” Edward hears Adelaide’s voice from behind him, where he’s sat on a bench somewhere deep in the garden. He’s honestly not sure he could get back out on his own if he wanted to. He’d just been so angry, and he hadn’t really known where else to go, and he’d ended up here.

“Did you overhear or something?” he huffs, picking up his phone somewhat gingerly from the grass which was apparently dewier than he’d thought, and wiping it on his jumper.

Adelaide sighs and comes and sits next to him on the bench, tugging her cardigan tighter around her. “George started recording when you guys got loud. He sent it to the group chat.” 

“Oh, great, so everyone knows.”

She winces. “Yeah, I guess so.”

“So, did you get assigned Edward-duty or something? Draw the short straw?”

“Look, I’m sorry my brother is a twat, and I’m sorry your friend isn’t picking up the phone, but I’m trying to help so you can stop acting like such a dick and walk me through what happened, or I can leave you here to overthink on your own.”

Edward sighs and rubs a hand across his face, before turning to her. “You’re right, I’m sorry, you didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just your stupid brother…”

“Alfred can be a dumbass sometimes, and, from the sounds of things, he really went all out on his trip to idiostville this time, but you see why he did it, right?” Adelaide shuffles a little to face Edward properly, turning and tucking her legs up onto the bench.

“Because he has absolutely zero regard for my feelings about my own family?”

“Because he loves you, Edward, and he wants to help.”

Edward scoffs and looks away, staring straight down the garden.

“You know it’s true.” Adelaide pokes his leg with her foot. “Look, I don’t know the whole situation but I know my brother and I know he’d do anything to help the people he cares about. What he did was wrong, and I get that, Drums, he overstepped his bounds, but his heart was in the right place.”

Edward hums, face still set in a stern expression, but Adelaide can see his eyes softening. 

“Now, correct me if I’m wrong, but there’s something else going on here that made you react like that. Because I know how much you love my stupid brother, and you don’t seem like the kind of guy who flies off the handle like that on the regular.” Adelaide cocks an eyebrow at Edward.

He doesn’t reply, choosing instead to squeeze his hands together, wringing them so hard she can hear his knuckles popping.

“Dude, stop that,” Adelaide prods him again with her foot.

Edward’s hands immediately stop. “Sorry,” he mutters, still staring down the garden. “It’s just, you might not be totally wrong.” 

“Wanna talk about it?”

Edward shakes his head a little.

“Okay, look, I know I’m just your boyfriend’s kid sister and I get if you don’t feel like baring your soul to me. I’m pretty sure Clarence and Richard are still around, or maybe I could try and steal Emily from Alfred’s room – I think she went to do damage control…” Adelaide rambles, before cutting short when Edward turns to face her. “Look, my point is I can go and get someone else.”

“Nah, you’re okay, it’s just… It’s hard to open up about it, to anyone really. I just… I wanted this to be _my_ thing, you know? Like, I wanted to find my brother for myself, and then I could go home and tell Alfred everything about him. And then suddenly Alfred was telling me all these things he’d found out about my brother and it felt so… wrong. And I _asked_ him not to-“

“Edward, honey, if you can’t accept that Alfred is definitely going to do the things you ask him not to do, then he’s not the guy for you. But, I see where you’re coming from. Have you told him that’s how you feel?”

“I tried, it just… it came out all wrong and I don’t think he understood why it was such a big deal for me.” Edward sniffs, leaning back until he’s looking up at the stars. “D’you know I was talking to your dad about getting married this morning?”

Adelaide chokes on half formed words. “I’m sorry, _what_?”

Edward hums, a small smile making its way to his lips. “Asked for his hand and everything. I’ve got a ring on hold back home and everything. But now…” Edward’s smile falters as he sits upright again somewhat abruptly. “Now I’m not sure.”

“Woah, woah, woah, backtrack for just a second before you give me emotional whiplash.” Adelaide clasps her hands together in her lap.

“I mean, after this, Addie, I just… I don’t know.”

“Don’t know if you want to marry him?”

Edward shrugs by way of response, and Adelaide sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. 

“Look, Drums, reason with me, ‘kay? You love him?”

“Well, yeah.”

“You want to spend your life with him?”  
  
“Of course.”

“Well then there’s your answer!”

Edward chews on his lip, staring down the garden again.

“Edward I-don’t-know-your-middle-name Drummond, so help me God-“

“You’re right.”

Adelaide pauses abruptly. “I’m what?”

“You’re right. I may be mad at your stupid brother, but I still want to marry him.”  
  
“That’s my boy!”

Edward frowns at her. “I’m 5 years older than you.”

“But which of us is the most sensible?”

Edward’s frown deepens. “Me. Definitely me.”

Adelaide pauses for a moment, before laughing. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Edward cracks a smile for a few seconds, before letting it drop again. “So, what do I do now?”

“Now? You wait for Alfred to come and beg for your forgiveness. Don’t go falling for his puppy eyes, you wait until he’s given you a full, sincere apology, then, and only then, you apologise to him for getting so angry, and then you guys kiss and make up and try not to be too loud with your make up sex because that’s still my brother.” Adelaide scrunches her nose. 

“Shouldn’t I go and find him?”

“Absolutely not. He’s the one who fucked up, he’s the one who’s going to apologise to you. Understand?” Adelaide grabs him by the shoulders and looks him dead in the eye.

“Yeah, I understand,” Edward chuckles.

“Okay, good.” Adelaide drops her arms with a sigh.

After a beat of silence, Edward speaks up. “It’s Charles, by the way.” 

“What?”

“My middle name. Charles." 

Adelaide looks like Christmas just came early. “Charles?” She practically beams at him. “Do any of my other siblings know that?” 

Edward rolls his eyes at her. “No, and don’t go spreading it around.”  
  
“Oh, I don’t intend to. I’m gonna hold that one over their heads for as long as I can.” She grins.

Edward can’t help but laugh at her again. Talking to Adelaide makes him wish he’d had a sister.

And then he thinks of Florence, and Mina, and maybe Adelaide as well, and realises maybe he does have a sister after all, and maybe he has three. And maybe they’re part of the steps he needs to take towards being okay again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh man i hope you liked it. i lied in the note above, the real reason i posted this was because im craving validation. let me know what you thought of it/what you're hoping to see next time/if i made any typos which i no doubt did. 
> 
> thank you so much!! <3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yikes okay this took forever, but here it is! the 6th and (probably) final chapter of coming home! 
> 
> im gonna end it here and probably do a separate fic for edward findind his brother and all that jazz - and i haven't forgotten about the other things you guys suggested! they're all written down and waiting at the back of my mind for me to write them!
> 
> so, without further ado, here's the chapter!

Alfred paces the length of his room twice, pauses for a second by the window and sits down in his desk chair somewhat stiffly, wringing his hands for a few brief moments, before standing back up again and resuming his pacing.

“Jesus Christ, Alfred, could you stay still for like 30 seconds? It’s exhausting just looking at you.” Emily’s eyes track his movement from where she’s sat on the bed, watching him come to a halt facing the window again, Charlie pulling up short behind him where she’s been following him around the room. 

“He’s gone,” Alfred whispers, staring out over the garden as though he might be able to see Edward through the darkness. “He got so angry, and then he just left, and now I can’t find him.”

Emily shares a quick glance with George, who’s leaning against Alfred’s doorframe. They know exactly where Edward is – Adelaide had texted to let them know she’d found him out in the garden – but had elected to keep them apart for a little bit, until they’d both cooled off. Maybe that way they could avoid a catastrophic break up. 

“He’s probably going to dump me and then everything will be awkward with Flo and Mina, and George will snatch him up, and a year from now I’ll be at their wedding instead of my own and then I’ll die alone.” Alfred flings himself down on the bed, just missing Emily’s legs as she pulls them out of the way.

“You always did have a flair for the dramatic, Plumpy,” George chuckles, strolling over to the bed and crouching down so his eyes are level with Alfred’s head, even though Alfred has buried his face in the duvet. “I’m not planning on stealing your boyfriend, and he’s certainly not planning on dumping you.”

Alfred mumbles something incoherent into the duvet that sounds something like he might be disagreeing.

Emily rolls her eyes at him and kicks him gently. “Quit moping and tell us what the hell you’re gonna do about it.”

Alfred makes an attempt at a shrug without looking up.

Emily purses her lips before kicking him again, a little more insistently this time. “You’re worse than my kids, Alfred.”

He makes no attempt to reply, not even in indignation. 

“Fine, if you’re gonna be a baby about this then I’ll treat you like one. Why don’t you start by telling me what you did wrong?”

That gets his attention, finally, prompting him to sit up and frown at her. “Jeez, are you therapizing me now? I thought mum and dad made you agree not to do that anymore.” 

“Shut up and answer the question.” Emily looks thoroughly unimpressed.

Alfred rolls his eyes before sitting up properly and crossing his legs. “I went looking for his brother when he asked me not to.”

There’s a brief pause, in which George stands up so he’s towering over Alfred, folding his arms. “That’s it?”

Alfred shrugs.

“Dude, you get how much of a big deal this is, right? I mean he’s not just pissed for the hell of it, he’s annoyed because he wants to get in touch with his family and you’re trying to take that away from him.”

“What? I’m not-“

“I don’t care if that’s not what you’re trying to do, that’s kind of just what you’re doing. Frankly, Alfred, he has every right to be pissed off about it.” George’s tone is harsh, matter-of-fact. He’s not taking any bullshit. 

“We’re not supposed to take sides, Gege,” Emily reminds him. Their attempt at a double act is very telling of the total gap in age and life experience hanging between them.

“I don’t care, he needs to understand.”

“You really think that’s how he feels?” Alfred’s voice is suddenly really small.

George gives him a look shaking his head slightly as if to say ‘well duh’. Alfred shifts his weight uncomfortably.

“I didn’t realise. I just thought it would be a nice surprise.” He fixes his gaze on the bed, tracing the pattern with his eyes.

“Well, it wasn’t.” 

“George, could you _please_ try handling this a little more delicately?” Emily hisses, her eyes shooting daggers in his direction.

“No, he’s right. I need to apologise. Profusely.”

“Well it took you long enough.” George cracks a smile and ruffles Alfred.

“Hey, stop that, I’m still older than you,” Alfred grumbles. “Now will you tell me where my boyfriend is?”

Emily bites her lip and looks away while George shrugs as nonchalantly as he can.

“Look, I know you guys know where he is, I’m not thick, so would you tell me already?”

Emily speaks up after a beat of silence. “Addie’s with him.”

Alfred wrinkles his nose slightly. “Addie?” 

“Yeah, I don’t really get it either. She hardly even likes me on a good day.” George grins in an attempt to alleviate some of the tension. 

“She’s not alone in that, Gege.” Alfred bites back.

“Ouch, that one hurt.” George brings his hand up to his chest in mock-hurt, and Alfred rolls his eyes.

“Addie says she thinks it would be best if you waited ‘til morning. Drums is exhausted. He’s crashing in her room tonight.” Emily reads off of her phone, before glancing up at Alfred sympathetically.

It feels like there’s a knife twisting in Alfred’s heart. “Oh. Okay. In the morning, then.”

“It’s probably for the best, that way you won’t be tired and snappy when you talk,” Emily tries. It’s a weak attempt at reassurance, but Alfred doesn’t want her worrying, so he nods along.

“It’s late, you guys should get some sleep.” He forces a small smile. “Thanks for helping.”

Emily gives him a tight-lipped smile, standing up and giving him a quick hug, and pressing a kiss onto the top of his head. “Let me know if you need anything else, yeah?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Alfred pushes her back playfully.

“And I’m just on the other side of the wall,” George smiles too. Alfred is getting pretty sick of their sympathetic smiles. “So keep your crying quiet, ‘kay?”

Emily jabs her elbow into George’s ribs but Alfred laughs, which he assumes was the goal, before ushering them both out of the room.

When he’s finally alone, the room suddenly feels far too big, far too daunting. Which is crazy. This is his childhood bedroom, he’s supposed to feel safe here, but instead he can’t help seeing Edward everywhere, like he’s already infected the room with his presence. From the clothes spilling out of his suitcase to the dent in the pillow on his side of the bed, Edward is everywhere. 

Alfred makes his way over to the bed and slumps down on his own side. It’s strange, the bed suddenly feels far too big. It’s been months since he had a bed all to himself, and suddenly the bed feels like it’s too wide, like there’s far too much empty space for him to try and fill.

He hates it. He hates that he messed up, and he hates that he hurt Edward, and he hates that Edward is sleeping on his sister’s floor instead of here with him.

 

* * *

 

Breakfast the next morning is uncomfortable to say the least.

Alfred hadn’t really expected Edward to come down and eat with them, which, in hindsight, was stupid. Edward had as much of a right to breakfast as he did, and he really ought to have expected that Adelaide would’ve coaxed him out.

Edward has abandoned his seat next to Alfred in favour of sitting on the other side of the table with Adelaide, which hurts just a little, and he’s looking perhaps even more shell shocked than Alfred, which is saying something. Dottie is sitting in front of him on the table, staring directly at Alfred like she can guilt him into apologising on the spot.

Everyone else is painfully quiet, even his parents. They’d all been kept well informed about the events of last night, apparently, which meant the whole table was currently sitting in stony silence. Even Emily’s kids seemed to have picked up on the mood in the room somehow, and were sitting quietly waiting for Emily to finish buttering their toast. 

Alfred stared down at his plate, cutting up his fried egg with the utmost attention to detail to avoid having to look up and face Edward.

His father cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly. “Would anyone like some orange juice? I picked the oranges myself this morning-“

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Mary interjects. 

“Mary!” Emily snaps, rubbing her hand over her eyes and glancing over at her children.

“Sorry, not you, dad.” Mary ignores her sister’s exasperation, turning on Edward and Alfred like she’s ready to kill someone. “Would you two just talk or something? I don’t care what happens, but dad made pancakes and orange juice and nobody can enjoy them because we’re all too busy waiting for you two to get your fucking shit together.”

Emily throws her hands up in the air. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“Oh come on, Em, they’ll learn it eventually, probably from me. May as well get started now.” Mary rolls her eyes, before fixing them back on Edward and Alfred, who are both blinking mutely at her. “Go! Talk! Let me enjoy my fucking breakfast.” Emily seems to have given up complaining.

Alfred jumps to his feet hastily, and locks eyes with Edward for the first time since their fight. “She’s right. We should talk.”

Edward glances briefly at Adelaide, who gives him a quick nod, like a seal of approval or something, before getting up silently and following Alfred out of the dining room and into the hallway. 

They hover there in silence for a moment, Edward standing stoically with his arms crossed over his chest, clearly waiting for Alfred to speak first.

“Edward, I behaved terribly last night.” Alfred wrings his hands, dragging his eyes up off the ground to meet Edwards’ so he can see he means it. “I completely crossed a line and I realise now how wrong it was for me to go snooping around for your brother like that. You were right, I should have listened to you. This is your family, and I need to let you do this your way. I’m so sorry, can you forgive me?”

There’s a moment of silence as Edward takes in what Alfred has said, eyes scanning over his face as if he’s trying to figure out how sincere Alfred’s apology is. And then his whole body softens, brow crinkling slightly as his lips lift up in a small smile.

“It’s already forgiven.” Edward reaches out his hand to catch Alfred’s, squeezing gently. “I lashed out last night, and I shouldn’t have. You were trying to help, and I love you for not wanting me to go through this alone.” Alfred opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but Edward presses a quick kiss onto his knuckles, effectively silencing him. “I’ve been telling myself I wanted to do this alone, but the truth is I was just scared of what I might find, and I thought it would be easier if I kept it to myself. But I want you to be a part of this, Alfred.”  
  
“You don’t have to say that-“ Alfred begins.

“I want your help, Alfred. Truth be told, I’m useless without you. And I love you, and I want to share every part of my life with you.” Edward is only inches away from him now, and Alfred blinks a little, wondering how on earth that happened.

“If you’re sure…” Alfred whispers, resisting the urge to bite his lip.

“I’ve never been more certain about anything.” Edward grins, before leaning in and kissing Alfred softly, sweetly, like he can tell him through this kiss just how much he’s missed him.

Alfred smiles into a kiss, just for a few seconds, grabbing Edward’s other hand with his own, before turning his head to the side, towards the dining room door.

“You can all stop eavesdropping now,” he shouts, and, like clockwork, the door creaks open to reveal Alfred’s entire family crowded in the doorway. “We’re going up to my room, I’d recommend staying away from the immediate vicinity for a little while.” Alfred flashes them a grin, before dragging Edward in the direction of the stairs, ignoring the muttered protests behind them.

 

* * *

 

**drumfred preservation alliance**

**gege:** well, now that the alfred/drums relationship is officially fixed i have some news i’ve been /dying/ to share

**addie:** i have some news too

**gege:** don’t you dare take this away from me

**addie:** drums is going to propose!

**gege:** alfred is going to propose!  
 **gege:** wait what

**addie:** srsly what

**papa p:** He came and spoke to me yesterday to ask for Alfred’s hand.

**mary:** hA! of course he did

**clarence:** surprised you’re not mad about him beating you to the altar 

**mary:** how dArE yOU

**emily:** someone add mina

**_clarence added mina to the group_ **

**mary:** mina, scroll up

**mina:** what the FUCK  
 **mina:** neither of them mentioned this to me? frankly im insulted  
 **mina:** hold up

**_mina added flo to the group_ **

**mina:** flo, scroll up

**richard:** wait who’s this?? 

**clarence:** mina’s gf

**mina:** uh excuse you  
 **mina:** my fiancée actually

**flo:** <3   
 **flo:** also yeah edward took me ring shopping  
 **flo:** found a real nice one, he put it on hold

**addie:** he told me about that!

**mina:** and you didn’t tell me???

**flo:** sworn to secrecy, sorry babe

**mina:** rude

**gege:** okay but before you two have domestic  
 **gege:** can we talk about the fact that they’re both planning to propose?  
 **gege:** alfred has pinterest boards and everything

**mama p:** Oh, they’re very lovely, he showed them to me!

**mary:** who’s gonna do it first  
 **mary:** place your bets 

**gege:** plumpy will throw a fit if he doesn’t get to do it first  
 **gege:** i hope drums beats him to it

**emily:** alfred will spend too long planning

**flo:** idk drums is spending a long time making sure he gets the right ring  
 **flo:** he wants to go to another 3 shops before he commits

**mina:** im with flo on this one

**gege:** if alfred proposes first i’ll give you £20  
 **gege:** each 

**mina:** i’ll take that action

**flo:** ditto

**clarence:** can’t you guys just be happy for them?

**mary:** nO   
 **mary:** nEvER

**gege:** maybe you should ask al for tips 

**_mary left the group_ **

**_gege added mary to the group_**  

**gege:** we love u rlly  
 **gege:** wait does this mean im next down the aisle 

**mary:** i will kill you with my bare hands 

**emily:** i’ll help

**clarence:** same

**richard:** im down

**addie:** i’ve been waiting for this moment

**mina:** im in

**flo:** i’ve never met you but it seems like you deserve it

**gege:** ouch  
 **gege:** that’s just cold  
 **gege:** at least mum and dad still love me

**mama p:** We’ll help cover for you all when the police come knocking. 

**_gege has left the group_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay it took me some time to get this one out, but this fic has come to an end! i really hope you guys liked it! as always, I'd love to know what you thought of it, so leave a comment letting me know! 
> 
> thank you so much for always reading and making my entire day with such lovely comments! i'll be back soon with more content, i promise! <3

**Author's Note:**

> whew, that was a lil bulkier than i meant it to be as a chapter. im planning on more for this spin off though! perhaps a little more action with regards to edward meeting the family and getting to know them! 
> 
> i hope you liked this, let me know what you thought!!
> 
> thank you for reading <3


End file.
